(Sports Network) - The Boston College Eagles and 10th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers resume play in the NIT Season Tip-Off tonight, as they clash in the semifinal round at historic Madison Square Garden. The winner of this game will move on to the finals against either UAB or Oklahoma on Friday. The Eagles hosted one of the four regional's of this event, winning the East bracket with a victories over Loyola-Maryland (90-57) and St. John's (82-70) last week. Following those games however, BC hit the road for the first time and suffered a 53-50 setback at St. Louis. The Eagles, who are now 3-1 on the year, had gone 1-1 in their only prior appearance in this event in 1990.

As for Purdue, it hosted the North Regional of this tournament and it had little trouble advancing with triumphs over Eastern Michigan (87-58) and Loyola-Chicago (78-46) last week. The Boilermakers had one tuneup prior to this game, a 66-46 victory over Coppin State on Saturday. This is the second time Purdue has advanced to New York City in this event, finishing third in the 1998.

The Boilermakers and Eagles have met just once previously on the hardwood, with Purdue capturing an 82-54 win in the opener round of the 1978 Rainbow Classic.

The Eagles shot a dismal 33.3 percent from the field, including a poor 3-of-16 showing from long distance, as they were nipped by St. Louis on Saturday. BC didn't have much success at the foul line (11-of-19) either and it even lost the battle on the boards, 43-32. Corey Raji paced the team in defeat with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Reggie Jackson had 10 points off the bench. Tyrese Rice was limited to just six points, but he stills leads the squad with 16.7 ppg and 6.0 apg on the season. Joe Trapani ranks second to him with 14.5 ppg, while Raji contributes 13.3 ppg and a team-high 6.8 rpg. Rakim Sanders adds 11.0 ppg for BC, which is tallying 75.5 ppg as a team.

The Boilermakers clamped down on defense this Saturday, forcing 17 turnovers and holding Coppin State to a dismal 30.0 percent shooting effort from the floor in a lopsided win. Purdue had most of its success at the foul line, where it hit on 18-of-23 chances. Robbie Hummel led the charge with a double- double of 20 points and 11 rebounds. Nemanja Calasan chipped in 11 points off the pine, and E'Twaun Moore had 10 points, eight boards and five assists. After four games, Hummel tops the squad with 16.3 ppg and he is also collecting 5.8 rpg. Moore has provided a nice complement to him with 14.8 ppg and a team-high 6.3 rpg, while JaJuan Johnson adds 10.5 ppg to the mix. As a team, Purdue has excelled on defense, where it is limiting foes to a mere 50.0 ppg and a horrific 32.9 percent shooting from the floor.





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